The Rainmaker
by Rehviel
Summary: After the Chunin Exams, Naruto meets a strange girl who is unable to speak his language or even use chakra. So why are Tsunade and Jiraiya keeping an eye on her? And what is the strange power she DOES seem to have? GaaraxOC, mild NaruHina. Rated teen for
1. The beginning: Naruto's Annoyance!

Disclaimer: Lee-kun does not own Naruto. If I did, Kabuto-san, Lee-kun, Hinata-chan and Naru-chan would be my personal servants, Shikamaru would be my advisor, Gaara-sama would be my bitch, and Orochimaru would be a smoldering mass under Gaara-sama's feet. Oh, and Kankuro would be my jester.

This is after the Chunin exams and the Sand/Sounds attack, but Sasuke hasn't defected, and Naruto and Sakura haven't gone for training under the Sannin. They're all still together in Team 7 under Kakashi. The Third Hokage, however, is dead with Tsunade in his place.

"Words" are in Japanese

" Words>" are in English

_Words _are in Sign Language

**_Words _**are Kyuubi talking

**Words **are Shukaku talking

Onwards with the story!

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Naruto mumbled as he walked home from his last mission. Yet again, he had horribly screwed up. And, yet again, Sasuke had been the saving grace and fixed the whole problem. That on top that, Team 7 all lost the Chunin exams badly, and now Tsunade-sama and Ero-sennin were ignoring him, making for a very angry Naruto. He didn't have any money on him, so he couldn't even go to Ichiraku before they closed. He headed for the Hokage's residence, intent on hounding Tsunade for her absence.

Much to Naruto's surprise, he saw her before even making it halfway to her home. She was marching in a fast stride, two ANBU following behind.

'That's weird,' Naruto thought. 'Only thing close in that part of town is a bunch of apartment complexes.' Being the naturally curious midget he is, he followed, acting desperately as if he was already headed this way, to keep the ANBU from finding him out. Unfortunately, luck was not with him. One of the ANBU leaned towards Tsunade and whispered something in her ear. She stopped, turned around, and saw Naruto before he could even think of hiding. She sighed and headed at him, making him flinch.

"What is it, Naruto-kun?" Tsunade said in as best a forgiving tone as she could manage. She knew she had been ignoring him lately, but the reason for that was waiting for her right now. She needed to get this over with as soon as possible.

"N-Nothing!" Naruto sputtered. Tsunade gave him The Look, and he slumped. "You and Ero-sennin are ignoring me! What's going on, huh! Even with your Hokage duties, you still have time to talk to me, but you stopped all of the sudden! What are you guys up to, huh?"

Tsunade sweatdropped. She couldn't give her 'Hokage's Business' line to him, she could see that. And from the set of his jaw, she could see he wouldn't take a dismissal either.

"Naruto-kun…" But the gennin continued to glare at her. Tsunade huffed in defeat. She started off again, motioning for Naruto to follow. Behind their masks, the ANBU raised their eyebrows, but didn't question the Hokage's decision.

Strangely enough, Naruto's sense of direction was right, and the small group was soon surrounded by many apartment buildings, each more decrepit than the last. Naruto suppressed the urge to whine. The view was getting monotonous, and he had too short an attention span. But he knew if he said anything, Tsunade would use that ungodly strength of hers and he wouldn't land for several hours, somewhere in the next country.

They finally entered one of the buildings, one slightly less disgusting than its neighbors. They headed up several flights of stairs, Naruto internally mumbling about how a certain granny should just learn to explain things instead of dragging people goodness knows where.

They turned and entered the fourth floor hall, then down the left turn. Reaching apartment 333 (A/N: heehee, couldn't resist), Tsunade reached for the door handle, only to have it open on its own and reveal…

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heehee cliffhanger!

this is my first, so please review! flames will be used to cook Orochimaru (who is currently on a hogspit)


	2. What the?: A Strange Girl!

I own Naruto! Volumes 1-5! XP

Naruto: HELP ME SOMEBODY!

Lee-kun: MUAHAAHAA! You're MINE!

Naruto: NOOOOO!

Lee-kun: Read!

Naruto: But I can't read!

Lee-kun: smacks Naruto's head NOW! (turns to audience, smiling) Have no fear. Gaara-sama shall appear soon!

(Gaara creeps away)

Lee-kun: Hey! Get back here! (chases Gaara, who 'eeps' and runs faster)

TEH STORY!

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"TSUNADE-SAMA!" a green blur bowled over the busty woman. Naruto jumped, but the two ANBU remained still, so he relaxed.

The blur turned out to be a girl looking somewhat older than Naruto. Her woody brown hair was cropped short, except for a rattail that reached between her shoulder blades. She had bright green eyes, a perky, pixie-like nose, and full lips. Two gold earrings hung from her left earlobe, one more hoop in the other lobe and a stud in the cartilage. She sported a green v-neck shirt that clung to her tightly, while her white capris hung loose.

"Finally!" Jiraiya appeared in the doorway. He grabbed Tsunade's hand (Tsunade still pinned to the floor) and high-fived it. "Your turn, Tsunade-chan!" and with that he dashed away in smoke. "Coward" she grumbled.

Having turned to see Jiraiya, the girl noticed Naruto. He flinched, expecting her to give him the glare he endlessly received from the villagers. Instead, she got up, dusted herself off, and gave Naruto a small bow.

"EX-cuse me." She said waveringly, as if the words were things that would escape her any minute. Then she smiled. "Nice to meet you. Mey NAM-e is Lee." She gave another little bow.

Naruto blinked. The HELL was wrong with this girl? She could barely talk! He bowed back. "H-Hi. I'm Uzumaki Naruto."

What the girl did next would give Naruto the bar-none, absolutely most disturbing experience of his life when someone found out who he was.

"UZUMAKI-KUN!" She squealed, pouncing on him. Naruto buckled under her weight, sending both sprawling on the floor. Lee however, retained a death-grip on his neck and was quickly suffocating him. It took Tsunade (with a bit of leverage and cajoling) to get her to let go before Naruto turned purple.

With a glance at Tsunade, one of the ANBU left. Naruto sputtered as the others headed into the apartment and jumped in before they could think of closing the door on him.

The first thing Naruto thought when he stepped into the apartment was: SHINY. The inside completely belied the trashy exterior. A step up placed you in the kitchen, supplied with some of the newest gadgets you could think of. Turning to the right placed you in the living room. There, a short Japanese-style table sat in the middle, surrounded by pillows, some of which seemed to be handmade. Lots of bits of fabric, needles and thread were strewn across the tabletop. A corner seat was set against the wall so that one could sit and look out to the covered balcony. Two doors were on the left wall, presumably to a bathroom and bedroom.

Lee trotted and pulled out two cups for Naruto and Tsunade, already having one herself, and poured them both green tea from a teapot on the one clear spot on the table. Naruto sidled over near Tsunade, surprised at the starkness in the room. The table, pillows and window seat were all that was there. Nothing to indicate personal touches or interior design.

Turning to Tsunade, he asked, "What's with her? Who is she? And why are _you_ visiting her?"

"She's always like that, she told you, and because of reasons that would take too long to explain." She answered in order. Naruto pouted.

"Well, she can't speak our language, so where's she from?"

"Very good question." Tsunade said with a straight face. Naruto faceplanted. "One she won't answer." He peeled his face from the floor.

"Can't you just make her tell you?" Tsunade awarded him a glare.

"The only way to get her to talk about it would be to torture her, it seems." Naruto flinched.

Suddenly, the ANBU spoke. "What's the matter?"

Tsunade 'oh'-ed and Naruto 'huh?'-ed "What do you mean, what's the matter?"

"Not me," he jerked his thumb at Lee. "She said it."

"Bu-but she didn't say a word!"

"She doesn't need to. Sorry Lee-chan," Tsunade explained. "Lee-chan can't speak our language, but she knows Sign Language. That's why he's here," she nodded towards the ANBU. "He knows Sign Language as well. He translates it for us." She added due to the blank look on Naruto's face. "She's being taught to speak Japanese using Sign Language to translate the words. She already knows our alphabets well, and a few kanji, but she only seems to be able to say greetings. And her pronunciation of even that needs work." Tsunade gave a wry smile that Lee returned.

"So…" Naruto started. "She can't understand anything we say…?"

"Probably one out of every twenty words or so. But she can get the gist of what we're saying from that."

"Yup!" Lee nodded, having understood _'ni jyuu'_, meaning 'twenty', and the verb of 'speaking'.

"Then why…" the short blonde mumbled. "Why are you visiting her? To see how she's coming along?"

Tsunade beamed largely at him, causing him to twitch at the resemblance to two 'youthful' ninjas he knew. (read: Gai-sensei and Rock Lee)

"Exactly!" then, looking thoughtful, she picked up a piece of fabric on the table, a sober floral pattern. "Anyways," she continued, "if Jiraiya-san and I don't visit, she'd be all alone."

"Then, why don't you let her outside to make friends or something?"

"Because for all we know, she could actually be a spy from another Hidden Village."

This made Naruto think (for once), but then Lee gave a soft 'oh!' and went for something under the table. Tsunade suddenly looked interested, so Naruto leaned in too. What she pulled out he mistook at first for a store-bought doll.

Then he realized no storeowner would stock busty Tsunade and pervy-looking Jiraiya cloth dolls.

The workmanship was pretty amazing. Tsunade's was true to her real self: tall, buxom, pretty, buxom, dainty-looking, buxom, you get the idea. There was even a small necklace identical to the one she really wore. Brown eyes glittered up at you, they had been painted on, then glossed. There was even a hint of lipstick, REAL lipstick, to the dolls dainty, smiling lips, making them as vivid as the life-sized Tsunade.

Jiraiya's was just as well made. Though his eyes were beady, they were still glossed, and he had the face paint like the large Jiraiya had. His helmet was a bit different though, being made of metal, and the kanji on it was a little sloppy, but it managed. The toad-contract scroll was on his back. He had a large grin plastered on his face, as if he'd just heard of a swimsuit party for girls only close by. Naruto had a good laugh when he noticed she had even remembered the wart on his nose.

He stopped laughing, however, when he felt something soft touch his face. 'Huh?' Lee was staring at him with a very intent look in her eyes. Then he realized the soft item was fabric. She 'hmm'-ed, then switched it with another piece of muslin (A/N: for those of you who don't know: a tea-stained fabric that closely resembles skin tones). Switching it for yet another one, she 'ah!'-ed, then grabbed scissors and started cutting it.

Tsunade giggled behind her hand. "Looks like you'll be joining all of us!"

"All…?" Naruto gave his trademark look of cluelessness. So Tsunade turned to Lee and said clearly, "Lee-chan, show us all your dolls."

Understanding _'ningyoo'_, which meant doll, Lee pulled out three more dolls. Two were the ANBU that had escorted Tsunade, and the other Naruto didn't recognize, but seemed to be a teacher. All were very well made, down to little details like charms, glasses (for the teacher), even freckles that Naruto confirmed on the arms of the ANBU leaning against the wall.

Watching an effigy of himself slowly manifest before his eyes, Naruto asked, "Why do just you and Ero-sennin visit? Won't anybody else?"

The table suddenly gained an imprint of his face as Tsunade slapped him on the back. "Wonderful idea, Naruto-kun! Thanks for volunteering!"

"A-wha?" he said as he pulled fabric off his sorely abused cheek.

"_You_ can come and visit her! You'd like that, wouldn't ya, Lee-chan?" She gave Lee a bright smile. Lee just smiled back and nodded benignly as Naruto sputtered at this.

Tsunade suddenly pouted. "Don't you _want_ to see Lee-chan?"

Lees head shot up at this, having finally understood where the conversation was going.

"Uzumaki-kun?" she said hopefully.

Naruto quickly melted under the two hopeful sets of puppy-dog eyes. But he wasn't going down without a fight.

"Bu-but I need to train for the next Chunin exams!"

The Hokage of Konoha grew large, giving Naruto the death glare as he shrunk and sweated. Lee watched Tsunade chew him out with undivided interest.

"Uzumaki Naruto! There is another year before the next Chunin exams! You have plenty of time to train! She's all alone up here! The least you could do is visit her once in a while! And besides…" she leaned in and whispered to him, "I can have a word with Kakashi and Jiraiya about your training!" she ended with a smirk.

Naruto grudgingly agreed to this, and promised to visit the next day. In a last-ditch effort, he asked, "Does it just have to be me? Can I bring someone else with me?"

There was a moment as Tsunade got a nod from the ANBU that he wouldn't mind babysitting another kid, and she replied yes.

"But only one friend, okay?" she waved a finger under Narutos nose. "Lee was horribly shy when she met Jiraiya and I. Don't want to upset her, m'kay?"

Naruto sweatdropped at the thought of Lee being shy, but nodded. He pondered on it (since our dear Naruto isn't really a _thinker_) for the rest of the evening, listening to Tsunade talk to Lee alternately between Japanese and the ANBUs Sign Language.

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Thanks to CrestThePsycho, Kaori Uchiha192 and Kira for my first reviews! And yes, Gaara WILL appear. About chapter 4 or so, so XP!

Read and review! It really does help my muses!


	3. The Promise: A new friend

Lee-kun owns Naruto! Clash of Ninja! XD

No Gaara yet. Next chappie. Someone else shows up tho!

"Japanese"

"-English-"

_"Sign Language"_

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Naruto almost didn't get up the next morning. His alarms gears had gotten so rusted from the continual 100 humidity that had plagued Konohagakure for the last several days that he didn't even realize he had slept far past noon. Half-asleep, he shuffled out of bed and into the kitchen in search of food. Finding only moths and dust in the cupboards, he glanced at the wall clock to see if Ichiraku would be open yet.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHH! GRANNY'S GONNA KILL ME!"

Running down the street, he started talking out loud to himself.

"Okay, Sasuke-teme is definitely out; he'd just laugh (dumbass). Sakura-chan may do it if I ask her nicely (and treat her to ramen). Can't ask Iruka-sensei, he's working. Kakashi-sensei… I'm not even going to think about it…"

He turned around the corner, down a street full of vendors, and promptly ran into Hinata. Literally. In a very uncomfortable position. Narutos face being in her bosom.

"Uwahh! Hinata-chan! Are you alright?" Naruto jumped right up, his face red as cherries. 'No! I'm not blushing! And don't think of cherries!' he thought furiously to himself.

"A-ano, Naruto-kun. I'm fine." She started to get up on her own, but Naruto offered his hand. Hinata smiled and took it. "S-so, w-where are you g-going, N-Naruto-kun?"

"AH! I have to go visit somebody! Bye Hinata-chan!" he headed off, but stopped and turned around with a _very_ scary gleam in his eye.

"Hey, Hinata-chan…"

"Uh, y-yes, Naruto-kun?"

"Are you busy?"

"Uh! Y-You mean right now?"

"Um, yeah…"

"Well, no…" Hinata jumped when Naruto suddenly grabbed her hands. He looked up at her with a desperate puppy-dog look.

"Then will you go with me?"

"I-I guess, if you want…"

"YES! Thanks Hinata-chan!" with that, he sped off, dragging poor Hinata behind him.

"A-ano, Naruto-kun…" Hinata managed to blurt out after they had stopped to enter the apartment.

"Yeah Hinata-chan?"

"W-who are we visiting?"

"Um…" Naruto scratched his head. "Well, her name is Lee, she's older than us, she's _really_ bouncy, and… um, she has a translator."

"A-a what?" Hinata stared at him, bewildered.

"A translator." He said, a mite bit annoyed. "She can't talk Japanese, so an ANBU translates her Sign Language."

"An-an ANBU!" Hinata exclaimed, shocked.

"Yeah, that's what I thought too, but he's okay." He patted her shoulder. "He's just here to translate. That's all."

"A-all right…"

Naruto gave her a confident nod, then reached to open the door, only to have it burst open on its own. Naruto jumped back, not wanting to be choked again. Unfortunately, this left Hinata open to the attack.

A squeal of "UZUMAKI-KUN!" was heard as Hinata and Lee fell in a heap to the floor. This time Lee had a grip on Hinata's waist, and was snuggling into her torso. At the same time Naruto called to her above her head, she snuggled against Hinata's bust. That's when she realized she had tackled the wrong person. Lee slowly raised her head and came eye to wide-eyed Hinata.

"Ah-" Lee gave a surprised, wry smile. "S-sorry." And she jumped off and helped Hinata back on her feet. Unnoticed, Naruto gave a slight glare. There was some more general blushing until Lee came back to herself and motioned for them to come in. Hinata sweatdropped, gave a quick bow, and introduced herself. Lee returned the introduction and followed them in.

The quiet was sort-lived when Lee remembered she had food on the stove. She let out a girly scream (which Naruto had learned was rare for her) and rushed to her pot that was boiling over.

Hinata and Naruto jumped into the living room to give Lee space, and saw the ANBU. To their surprise, he was chuckling.

"She was waiting for you, you know. She heard you talking outside and set herself up to pounce." He turned his head as he was hit with another giggle fit. This caused Hinata to blush furiously, fiddling with her fingers.

After a bang and one long crash, Lee popped her head around the corner.

"_Eat?"_

"Uh, sure. Thanks!" Naruto ruffled the back of his head, bothered by the hand motions and translation. Hinata mumbled a 'yes'. Lee smiled and disappeared. Three clinks and several bangs later, and Lee brought out three plates of some sort of -pellets- with vegetables mixed in it, balanced in the crook of her arm like any experienced waitress. She placed them in front of her guests (except for the ANBU obviously, he has a mask on, silly!), set down forks, and then made a motion that they understood without translation.

"_Drink?"_

"Um, milk?" Lee paused, her lips pursed. "Mi…ru…ku?" Naruto gave her a bright smile. "Right!" Lee smiled and turned to Hinata.

"Hinata-sama?"

"Oh, uh, w-water, please."

Lee nodded and twirled out of the room. Both slightly disturbed by the twirling, Naruto and Hinata glanced at the ANBU, whom merely shrugged, silently saying 'that's her thing'.

Twirling back in, Lee made a graceful sweep to sit while setting all three drinks down at once. She smiled and motioned _"eat!" _

Her two guests stared at each other. It _looked_ good, but that didn't mean it tasted good. And since no one knew where Lee was from, it could taste like anything.

Surprisingly, Hinata asked first. "Ano, Lee-san? What is this?" Lee gave her a quick glare and said "Lee-CHAN" before answering with a large grin "CousCous!" (1)

"Cous- what?" Naruto gawked.

"CousCous!" Lee slowly said. She fumbled with her fingers.

_Noodles. Vegetables. Spices. Home favourite._

This did NOT reassure her guests. However, they didn't want to be rude, so they smiled weakly and took a bite. There was a pause as the Hyuuga and Jinchuuriki's eyes grew wide.

"SUGOI" Naruto screeched as he went at the couscous like it like ramen. Hinata smiled lightly and continued eating. Grinning happily, Lee started in herself.

----

Sitting back (after feeding Naruto all the rest of the couscous), Lee pulled a bag from under the table and pulled something out.

"Uzumaki-kun!" she presented the doll proudly to Naruto. The doll itself was already finished, as well as his pants, undershirt, zori, and kunai holster. Naru-ningyou smiled blithely up at his full-sized self.

As Naruto gawked at himself, Lee started pulling out fabric and comparing it to Hinata's skin. Naruto explained to Hinata, and with the help of the ANBU, it eventually turned into a conversation…

Having turned toward the weather, Naruto was complaining about the heat wave and how rain would be like having ramen after a mission. Muttering to herself (since all she understood really was 'rain'), Lee said under her breath, "Ame…"

"What do you call it, Lee-san?" Hinata asked.

"What?" Lee glanced at everyone, the ANBU 'telling' her what Hinata had said.

"Ame…?...-Rain-." she pronounced clearly.

"Ra-en…" Hinata mulled over the foreign word. "How about kumo?"

"Kumo…-Cloud-."

"Kuro…udo…"

"No, -c.l.o.u.d-."

"Croud."

"-Close enough…-"

----

"You two better head home." The ANBU (dubbed 'puppy-san' for his dog-mask) warned the two genin. Naruto groaned, he knew the humidity would be just as bad as it was earlier, and he wanted to stay in Lee's nice air-conditioned apartment. However, that would mean staying the night. Naruto wasn't sure if he would survive that. So, he and Hinata said their goodbyes, Naruto complaining about the humidity, Puppy-san following them out.

Shutting the door, Lee slowly turned to the glass door that went out onto the balcony. Her eyelids drooped, her eyes became unfocused, and after a few seconds, a healthy drizzle began.

'Naruto-kun better use this to get close to Hinata-sama. Maybe he'll cover her with his coat…'

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Sorry about the symbols to signify english. hope nobody got confused before...

and the reason it's 'croud' is that the japanese have a hard time pronouncing 'l'. they can say it, it just takes pratice since it doesn't naturally occur in their native tongue.


	4. A Peculiar Song: What did she call me!

Disclaimer: Lee-kun owns NARUTO Collector!

And yes, yes Gaara-sama finally shows up. Sheesh…

Gaara stalked the back streets of Konoha. After the little 'incident' at the chunin exams, he and his siblings had been 'requested' to stay to prove Suna's 'honest intentions'.

Bah.

That, and now all this rain. First a heat wave, now rain for three days straight. He couldn't stand being stuck in that apartment with Kankuro and Temari anymore. Cooped up in a small space with two other people who are scared of you gets on everyone's nerves, especially since he's not supposed to kill _them_. Kankuro nearly had a heart attack when Gaara announced he was leaving. (hey, he had been leaning against the windowsill for at least two hours doing absolutely nothing. If Kankuro hadn't been scared to death of Gaara, he would've forgotten about him)

So there he was, sulking under Kankuro's umbrella (Temari's was purple. He wasn't touching it), wishing somebody had a need to risk the rain so that he could kill them…

Okay, maim. He didn't want to have to answer questions or go through an investigation.

Heading through a block of apartment buildings much shoddier looking than his own, a very faint voice floated through the rain to Gaara. He smirked, bloodlust growing in his eyes, as he made like an arrow to his unsuspecting victim.

Lee leaned on the railing of her balcony, eyes seeing something beyond the buildings that surrounded her. The canopy dropped the rain right in front of her, creating a shimmering veil between her and the rest of Konoha. She knew she was alone, even Puppy-san had left. And for some reason it didn't settle well on her. She had finally been granted some time to herself, and she didn't like it.

Without thinking about it, she started her nervous habit: singing.

They were close, he could hear them more clearly. A quick glance up verified it, and within a second, Gaara was behind Lee, sand crawling all around him. He could immediately tell she wasn't a kunoichi, or else she would have noticed him. The sand slowly crept toward her, savoring the moment.

Then he heard what she was saying.

sakendeiru watashi no koe ga hibiku  
yurusarenai anata no tsumi o daite

_My shouting voice resounds  
And I embrace your unforgivable sins_

anata no yume o mita wa  
mezameru koto no nai yume o  
madobe ni motarenagara  
sotto tsuki ni dakareta

_I saw your dream  
The dream you can't awaken from  
While leaning against the windowsill  
And being softly embraced by the moon_

sakendeiru anata no koe ga togireru  
yurusarenai watashi no tsumi wa tsuzuku  
anata no mune o, anata no ude o, anata no koe o... subete o  
itoshii hodo ni kuruoshii hodo ni aishisugita anata o daite  
nandomo kowashitsuzuketa...

_Your shouting voice stops  
And my unforgivable crime continues  
Your heart, your arms, your voice... everything  
Until we love each other, until it drives us mad, I hold you who I love too much  
I am destroyed over and over again..._

The sand had stopped completely as Gaara stood frozen. The song was pulling at something inside. Something that he was completely unfamiliar with. He couldn't see her face, but he knew that she was absorbed in her thoughts. A thought, just one thought, and the sand could stop this _thing_ that was pulling at his heart.

He couldn't.

ima nara todokimasu ka?  
yasashii kare no koe ga  
anata ni wa miemasu ka?  
akaku somatta kono ude ga...

_Does it reach you now?  
His kind voice  
Can you see it?  
Your arm, dyed red..._

He must have moved, because she suddenly whipped around to face him. To Gaara's surprise, however, the look wasn't of fear, but just of embarrassment. And judging by the amount of blush, it had been very embarrassing. There was a moment of silence between them.

"The- the song…" a small twitch of the finger. "Finish it?" Gaara couldn't believe himself. The great Sabaku no Gaara, feared shinobi of Suna, asking some girl to sing. He would have thrown himself from the railing if the sand wouldn't protect him from such a short height.

"The song…?" a hand reached up to her neck. A newfound blush began across her cheeks. She cleared her throat and sang the last verse.

furuenagara saigo no koe o keshite  
yurusarenai futari no tsumi o nakinagara  
hakanai yume wa, kanashii yume wa, setsunai yume wa owari o tsuge  
yasashii yume ni, itoshii yume ni, ano hi no mama ni, ano koro no you ni...

_While shaking, the last sound is erased  
While weeping for our unforgivable sins  
Ephemeral dreams, sorrowful dreams, painful dreams announce the end  
Into gentle dreams, into beloved dreams, like that day, like that time..._

Gaara stood with a thoughtful expression, but came back to his usual self when the girl started to speak.

"Uh, mu-my name's Lee. Who are you?"

Silence.

"Um…"

"Sing it again."

Blink.

'Did he just ask me to _sing_?'

'Is he nuts?'

'Well, one look at him…'

Gaara shifted his weight, waiting.

'Okay. He's officially nuts …But he's asking for it…'

Lee raised her head and smiled brightly. "Yeah." And she started off quietly.

kirei na tsuki ga warau  
shizuka na yoru ni warau  
mou ichido, tsubuyaita wa  
anata no namae o...

_The pretty moon is smiling  
In the quiet night, it's laughing  
Once more, I murmured  
Your name..._

chirabaru garasu no ue de  
tsumetai kaze ga odoru  
anata no kaeri o matsu wa  
nemuri ni ochiru mae ni...

_Above the scattered glass  
A cold wind is dancing  
I await your return  
Before falling into sleep..._

Lee sang through the song four more times. Each time she ended, Gaara would look up and nod for her to start again. After she finished for the last time, he stood quietly for a moment, muttered "thank you" and jumped over the railing.

Okay, the girl was most definitely not a shinobi. He heard her cry out as he landed softly in a puddle, umbrella limp in his hand; forgotten. One last nod at her, and he started home, thinking that he may try talking to his siblings for once. About her. If he were the type to do so, Gaara would have shook his head to be rid of the idea. A girl WOULDN'T be the best thing to start up a conversation with. He was almost around the corner when he heard her cry out.

"See you later, bishounen!"

'!...Di…did she just call me a _pretty boy?_'

K-chak.

'Oh shit. Gaara's back.'

Said teenager walked into the living room, where Kankuro was sitting with some girl Gaara hadn't seen before.

'Guess he wasn't just boasting when he said he was popular with girls. Can't tell why though...' Gaara leaned on one foot at the entryway.

"Uh, G-Gaara-san, th-this is Amano, she j-just stopped by-"

Kankuro was cut off as Gaara strode across the room.

"It's fine." He was down the hall and in his room before his elder brother could say another word.

'The world is officially ending,' Kankuro thought. '_Gaara_ is acting like a normal teenager.'

"You knock."

"No, you!"

"You're older!"

"You're his brother, he'll relate to you better!"

"You're a girl, he'll open up to you better!"

WHAM!

"If you want to talk to me, then don't debate it in front of the door."

Gaara was about to close the door when both of his siblings cried out "WAIT!" This caused him to pause, eyes crooked at their outburst. The door stayed put.

"Well, uh, you s-seemed a bit, um, upset when you came home. I-is something wrong?"

Blink.

They thought something was wrong? Why were they even asking? They didn't care about him.

Did they?

"I…"

Kankuro and Temari leaned in to hear his explanation, causing him to pause.

"I… met someone interesting, that's all."

His siblings looked at each other worriedly. Kankuro cleared his throat and started.

"You, ah…-"

"I didn't kill anyone."

Sigh of relief.

"Then… who was it?"

"A girl."

This caused a mixed look of panic, fear, and surprise between the elder siblings. Gaara noticed this. It annoyed him when they did that. He sighed, which caused them to flinch.

"Stop that."

"W-what?"

A pause.

"If I wanted to kill you two, I would have done it already."

Gaara gauged their reaction as the significance of what he said dawned on them. Temari's eyes threatened to leave their sockets as Kankuro's jaw slammed to the floor.

"Ga-Gaara, you don't mean-"

"It means I don't want to kill you. And the girl is none of your business." With that, the door slammed shut. Temari and Kankuro were on one side, staring at each other incredulously, not daring to believe their brother may be turning human again. And Gaara on the other, lips twitching as he imagined his siblings' faces of the other side of the door.

The song is 'Dooms Day' by camui gackt. Translation by 


	5. Gaara's Denial:Shukaku shows his wrath!

I am so sorry I haven't updated in so long! With my senior year starting and trying to get art done for commissions and deviantart, it's been hectic. I'll try to get the next chapter up sooner!

Disclaimer: Lee owns a Naruto gashapon figure!!

Naruto made his way up the stairs to Lees' apartment. Now that the rain had finally stopped, the humidity returned. And as if that wasn't bad enough, Kakashi-sensei had decided they needed training, rain or shine. So he had left training in the late afternoon; returned home, changed into something less s_weaty_, and was hurrying to Lees' air conditioned home to escape what humidity that remained from the day.

Reaching the door, he gave a loud, rhythmic knock, and waited. He was about to knock again when Lee finally opened the door a crack. She looked slightly irritated, but her face lightened up as she realized who her guest was. She flung the door open and motioned for him to come in, a grin plastered on her face.

There was a man at the table that Naruto didn't recognize. He thought it was her tutor at first, but then he realized that the doll Lee had made had had blonde hair and glasses, while this man had short black hair and no glasses. He gave Naruto a slight glare before gathering his things and walking out without saying a word. Lee stuck her tongue out behind his back.

"Sorry." Lee turned to Naruto. "Teacher is sick today. And that guy is so mean!" she made a fist, as if she would punch him if he dare come back up the stairs.

Turning back to the table, Naruto noticed a half-sewn doll set aside from the badly-written kanji. He went to pick it up when Lee snatched it up and 'tsked' him.

"Can't look until done!" She gave him a mock glare, set the doll under the table and pulled out his and one other. The one was the completed version of himself, from spiky blonde hair to dark blue sandals. The other was apparently Hinata, judging that Lee had made her coat to cover her 'nakedness' as she worked on the rest of her. Hinata's hair was finished, as well as the outline for her face. Naruto marveled at how fast Lee could work while keeping all the little details.

While Naruto was busy examining the dolls, Lee brought out tea and homemade cookies (which Naruto was thrilled to recognize, since he was kind of afraid of Lees' other recipes). They sat down and munched in silence, until Naruto noticed Lee staring at him.

"What? Do I have crumbs on my face?" He pulled his annoyed squinty-eye look.

"No." She chewed on her lip, a habit that pissed Naruto off. In a flash, she brought up her arm and poked his headband.

"What's this?"

Naruto looked so dumbfounded Lee almost burst out laughing. But he recovered and gave his trademark grin as he adjusted it.

"It's the sign of a ninja! Only shinobi can wear this! And I'm the greatest of them all, 'cuz I'm gonna be Hokage!"

Lee looked perplexed. "Tsunade... Hokage, isn't she?" Naruto growled.

"Yeah, but I'll take the title from her real soon, believe it!"

He flinched as Lee started laughing. "Hey! Hey! I will, just you watch!" He yelled.

"No, no, Naruto, I believe you…" she giggled. "But a leaf seems silly to be about ninja!"

Naruto started yelling as Lee laughed more.

Gaara sulked in the kitchen, having caffeinated tea and sweets. He ate so much since he was little that now he detested anything with sugar, but it helped keep him awake. His siblings had learned to avoid him when the candy wrappers piled high in the garbage can, and it currently overflowed.

He had spent the last day and a half to think over his meeting with the girl. Her name had been Lee, hadn't it? Like that kid he fought in the chunin exams. Gaara briefly wondered what the boy was doing now that he couldn't use his left arm and leg. Returning from his digression, Gaara continued pondering over the girl who had made such a large affect on him in a matter of minutes. She definitely had too much power over him if she could make him feel without even knowing him.

Setting his mug in the sink, Gaara came to a resolution.

He would avoid this Lee at all costs.

Gaara skulked in the noontime sunshine. Kankuro and Temari had prodded him about 'the girl' over the morning, and he had finally gotten sick of it and left. Plus, Kankuro had another date coming over, and apparently her meeting Gaara was Bad and Wrong, so why hang around?

He wasn't really paying attention to where he was going; letting his feet take him wherever they pleased. He was given a wide berth by passersby, which was fine by him. Occasionally there were odd shouts from vendors directed towards him, but one look had their haggling voices turn into strangled squawks. Gaara barely noticed when the bartering of shoppers and squealing of children had faded into nothing. The street blurred before his eyes, not realizing the paved road had gained potholes and garbage was strewn everywhere. No one harassed him; all was silent, until suddenly there was one loud, somewhat familiar shout.

"Bishounen!!"

Gaara froze, one foot still in the air. Slowly looking up, he saw Lee practically hanging off her railing, waving frantically at him.

'Shit.'

His own body had betrayed him. He had sullenly, moodily, angstily made his way straight to Lee's apartment building.

Before he could even think of the consequences, he jutsu-ed away, leaving behind a very confused Lee.

Several blocks away, Gaara mentally berated himself for doing something so impulsively. His own body had _betrayed_ him! And then he just ran away, like some kid with their hand caught in a cookie jar! (not that he was ever caught, that's what the sand was for) He had no _valid_ reason to avoid her, what would she think?

He stopped, eyes widening. Since when did Sabaku no Gaara care what other people thought? Or felt? He was a shinobi, a killer, a demon. Why would this _person_ be any consequence to him? Especially since she was dangerous to him! Why, he should kill her for causing him pain! His hands flexed into claws, eyes furrowing as he thought of killing her, her red blood staining her brown hair, eyes forever open in terror. Oh yesssss, he would teach her.

Gaara snapped up, hand flying to his tattoo.

'Dammit, leave me alone!'

"**Come on kid, you know that you liked the idea."** Shukaku purred in his 'ear'.

'No, I just want to find out more about her, find out why she's doing this!'

"**Aww, does the boy have a crush on the nice girl? You remember the last time someone was nice to us?"**

'Sh-shut up!'

"**Oh yesssss. Yashamaru. You remember that, right? 'You're my precious one, Gaara-sama', 'You are receiving love, Gaara-sama'. Pah, my fat, sandy ass. Haven't you learned by now that no one could ever love you?"**

Outside Gaara's head, his feet started moving.

'Na-Naruto said…'

"**Hah! That brat? He's weak, holding on to his 'friends' hands, like children. Now turn around, jump up to that little git and kill her. Oh, the look on her face when you crush her bit by little bit, covering her mouth so she can't scream, blood spilling onto the floor as she struggles to get free-"**

Slowly, Gaara's body made shaky steps back the way he came.

"**-squeeze her from the bottom up- best way to do it; prolongs the pain, snap every bone in her feet first, then her legs-"**

'Stop it! She may… she may…'

**"Love you? Want you? Be your friend? Come on kid, we've been killing for six years together, don't go soft on me-!"**

"I-**don't-CARE!!**" Gaara shouted to the empty street, having halted his body's progress. "I won't kill _anyone_! Not even her! You have no power over me! Now leave me alone!"

Shukaku recoiled from his host's wrath. It gave a derisive snort as it slunk back into the darkness of Gaara's subconscious.

**"Fine, brat. But I expect to be in control when you finally do kill her. That bastard Uzumaki cut my last rampage on the outside short."**

"As if I'll let you outside again."

**Snort.**

Gaara shuddered and collapsed onto the pavement as Shukaku receded. Panting, he braced himself against a wall and sat there, regaining his breath.

"How the _fucking hell_ does Uzumaki do it?"


	6. The Deep Haze: A Lonely Soul

Disclaimer: Okay, we're getting sick of this, so the cast is doing it now. SAY IT NARUTO!

Naruto: No! It's stupid!

Lee-kun: Do it or I won't feed you any ramen for the rest of the fic!

Naruto: Aah! Nooooooooo! Gimme my ramen dattebayo!

Lee-kun: Say it!

Naruto: Kuso… sigh… (pulls out script) The great and awesome Lee-kun doesn't own Naruto in any way, shape, or form. If s/he did, s/he wouldn't be writing a fanfic, would s/he?

Lee-kun: or would I…? (evil smirk)

Naruto: Ramen now?

Lee-kun: sigh, one track mind… good thing that's what makes him cute…

Naruto: RAMEN!!

A deep haze pressed down in Konoha, promising many more days of rain and humidity. The air shimmered, even high above the asphalt.

Lee draped languidly over the bench on the balcony, fan flapping wildly at her face as she panted. Her lemonade, which she had just brought out with her, had already lost its ice cubes.

'Goddamn A/C… breaking at a time like this…' She lifted her tank a little, airing out her chest.

A loud pounding rousted her from her repose. She jumped up and ran for the door; Naruto was the only one who knocked hard, and if he was this excited, who knows what would happen to the door.

Naruto burst in, dragging Hinata with him. The smile that was plastered his face as he came in faded as he realized the air conditioning wasn't on.

"Lee-san! What the hell?! It's friggin' hot in here!!!"

Lees eye twitched. "Baka Naruto-kun. The air conditioning is broken." She reached over to the fridge, intending to get them lemonade, but Naruto dashed in and set himself in front of the freezer with a loud '_Aaaaah'._

Shoving him out of the way, Lee handed them both drinks, noting that they had given up on their jackets. She had seen Naruto's black tank he always wore under his track suit, the last time he had stopped by. But Hinata hadn't been able to visit since that first time, and seeing her in a netted tank almost seemed… taboo. The shy girl was obviously uncomfortable without her beige jacket, but even with only a thin shirt sweat dripped down her face. Hinata thanked Lee for the drink and immediately pressed the cool glass against her forehead.

"Hey, hey!" Naruto looked up from his seat in front of the fridge. "There's a new shaved ice shop near the onsen! You wanna go? I bet they have A/C!"

Hinata smiled and nodded. She turned to Lee, expecting an enthusiastic reply. Instead, Lee's face was contorted in worry.

"I… I can't." Lee sighed. Naruto belted up with a loud "Why?!"

"I'm not… allowed to leave the apartment." She smiled weakly. "Hokage's orders."

"No-one will know! Come on, you can't stay in here forever!" Naruto grabbed her hand and started out the door. Lee frantically grabbed the doorjamb and screeched "Naruto-kun! Stop! Stopitstopit! You don't know-!"

A puff of smoke sent them both flying. Naruto looked up in wonder as a new ANBU stared down at him. He turned to Lee, making her flinch and press herself to the doorjamb.

"I… I'm sorry. I tried to tell him…" The ANBU nodded and with a last glare at Naruto, disappeared.

"What…?" Naruto turned to Lee questioningly, shocked at the brief appearance of the ANBU. Her face had grown cold and expressionless.

"No-one knows where I'm from, Naruto-kun. No-one knows who I am, or who my family is. No-one in Konoha knows..." Her brows knitted. "And they can't get it out of me. I…" she paused, seeing the confusion on their faces. "I… can't tell them. I wish I could, I do!" her fists tightened. "But I can't! It would cause too many problems! No-one would understand!" Lee let out a heavy sigh.

"That's why I can't go anywhere without and ANBU escort, and only with Hokage's permission." She pressed her right hand into her face, flipping up her hair. There was a flicker in her eyes as they contorted, but it disappeared so quickly Naruto passed it off as the heat getting to him.

"Anyways," Lee let her hand down, then looked up and smiled. "You guys go. I'm sure it'll be nice."

"But…" Hinata stepped up next to Lee.

"If you stay here and make trouble again, the ANBU will come back." Lee waved a finger at Naruto. "Though it was funny seeing you fall on your butt!" She laughed. "Splat! Like a kid!"

"H-hey!" Naruto jumped up and tried to defend himself, but Lee held up her hand.

"Go on. Sooner you leave, sooner you get shaved ice." She gave him a small shove. "Go ahead."

Grumbling, Naruto and Hinata left, casting any worried glances over their shoulders. Lee watched them go, and once they disappeared around the doors to the stairway, she turned and glared down to the turn in the hall.

"Nice try. But I'm not saying anything to _them_ either."

On the other side of the corner, the ANBU rolled his eyes behind his mask.

Storming back into her apartment, Lee slammed the door behind her. She swept up a pillow from the living room table and screamed with all her might into it.

Still holding the pillow to her face, Lee backed up to the wall and slid down. By the time she hit bottom, it was obvious she was crying.

Three roofs away, Gaara watched the whole thing through the open glass door.

The two genin made their way through the bustling street, praying the line to the shaved ice shop wasn't too long. Shoving past a large group of old ladies, Naruto looked up to see an angry-looking Temari, searching left and right. Hinata walked closer to him, hiding in his shadow. They past by each other until Temari realized what she'd done.

"Hey! Uzumaki-san!" Temari whipped around as the boy froze.

"Uh, y-yeah? Temari-san?" Naruto sweatdropped as he looked over his shoulder.

"Have you seen Gaara anywhere?" Temari suddenly became nervous. "I've been looking for him, but he's disappeared!" she gave a hefty sigh. "He keeps doing this! Runs off without telling anyone, makes Kankuro and I worry, I can't believe how selfish he is! Anyways, did you see him?"

The Konoha genin blinked, and shook their heads no.

"Argh! I can't stand this! If you see him, tell him to go home, ok?!"

"S-sure…"

" 'K, thanks!" and with that, she dashed off down the street, knocking several people over. The jinchuuriki and the Hyuuga looked at each other until she said-

"I actually kind of hope she _doesn't_ find Gaara-san…"

"Y-yeah…"

Later that afternoon, Tsunade stood in front of Lee's apartment door. She had been informed of the incident earlier, and had been somewhat surprised that Lee not only knew of the jutsu placed on her to discern her location, but her ability to detect her ANBU guard.

She was about to knock when a soft "Come in" floated through the door. Tsunade opened it and took one quiet step in. Lee was still against the wall, clinging the pillow to her chest, a line of dried tears on her emotionless face.

Tsunade sighed. "You know, if you told us who you were, we'd at least let you out of this apartment."

"Lee is my name."

"Yes, but what about the rest of it?" Tsunade placed a hand on her hip. "You have to belong to some family."

"I don't." Lee gripped the pillow tighter, flattening it.

Tsunade relaxed, and gained a motherly look as she kneeled down to Lee's height. "Come on now, everybody belongs with somebody. And I'm sure your parents miss you. Your mother must be worried!" she ended with a small smile.

The sound of fabric ripping echoed through the room as Lee's grip threatened to destroy the pillow. Her eyes had gone wide and angry, as if a painful memory had surfaced. Tsunade wisely kept her mouth shut as Lee struggled to regain control of her anger.

"Lee…" Tsunade placed a hand on the girls shoulder. "Just tell us something. A name, a country, a town, something! We don't want to keep you locked up as much as you want to be free!"

Silence. Tsunade sighed and stood up. She headed towards the door when Lee whispered something just out of her hearing.

"What? What was that?" The Hokage turned to face Lee.

"It's too far away anyway… even _if_ I told you, you would never find it."

"But you're here! There has to be a way to get back!"

Lee turned to face Tsunade, her eyes like shards of ice.

"If there ever was a way to go home, I wouldn't go. There is nothing for me there."

"But your family-"

"And so you know," Lee interrupted, facing forward again. "My mother can't worry over me."

"Why not?!"

"She's dead."

Tsunade froze. She couldn't believe she had made such a callous statement to Lee. Shaking her head, she yelled at herself. It wasn't her fault that Lee had kept her silence. Anyways, now she actually had _some_ information about Lee, small as it was. She put a smile on her face.

"See? Now was that really so hard, Lee-chan?"

Lee let out several harsh-sounding words in her own language before setting her face into the pillow. Tsunade paused, then stood up and made for the door again.

"There's a festival in two weeks." Lee looked up. "Stay on good behavior and you can go."

The door slid shut with an audible click as Lee stared blankly.


	7. An Eventful Night:Gaara Shows Compassion

Disclaimer: Okay, it's Hinata's turn this time. Go ahead Hinata!

Hinata: Oh, um … :twiddles fingers:

Lee-kun:… :looks at audience:…We're waiting…

Hinata: Oh! Uhm, L-lee-kun doesn't own Na-Naruto:proceeds to runs away:

Lee-kun:watches Hinata run: Damn, she's got some legs on her…

An Eventful Night: Gaara Shows Compassion!

Lee remained in her position for a good long while. The sunlight slowly diminished and left her apartment dark.

A quiet step brought her attention to the open balcony door. Lee's eyes flickered over to find a pair of sandaled feet. She was about to dismiss them as an ANBU when she realized that Konoha-issue sandals didn't have a thong between the toes.

Looking up, Lee faced the red-haired boy that had appeared on her balcony a few days ago. His green eyes bored into her as he sat down next to her.

Gaara couldn't believe he was doing this. How could he give comfort when he had never received it himself? Nevertheless, he knew people normally would do _something, _so hopefully being there would be enough.

They sat there for a while in silence, just watching each other. Then Lee made a small sniffle and asked "If you want me to sing, you came at a bad time."

Her blatant rudeness caught Gaara off-guard. This was a very different girl than the one who sang for him before. And it wasn't just her improved speech either. Despite her blank face, her voice dripped with vinegar. He blinked and closed his eyes.

"You looked lonely."

Lee stared at him incredulously, making him squirm.

"Well, normally you're smiling…"

"How do you know- have you been _watching_ me?!" Gaara flinched, ready for the string of curses sure to follow.

Instead, there was a small pause followed by a quiet "Why?"

Gaara blinked.

"Why…" Lee continued "…would you be watching _me_, of all people in Konoha?" She stared right at him without hate or disgust, merely confusion.

"Because…" Gaara was unsure how to answer. He wasn't sure himself why he had watched her for the last several days.

"Maaa…" Lee imitated Kakashi-sensei without realizing it, while interrupting Gaara's train of thought "It doesn't matter." She turned to him with a small smile. "It's actually kinda cute."

Gaara could feel his composure crack. First she called him a pretty boy, and now she's calling him cute.

Lee suddenly straightened her legs and flattened her back against the wall, staring at the ceiling. Her eyes were vacant, dwelling on other things.

"I wish I could tell everyone…" she whispered. "I wish I could tell them everything." She shut her eyes tightly. "But it would hurt so many people, they just wouldn't understand…"

"Why care what they feel?"

Lee's gaze returned to the cool eyes.

"Because Tsunade… Naruto… Hinata… they're all precious to me. I don't want to hurt them." Lee sighed, and then smiled in an almost insane manner at him, her eyes wide. "Why did you think I smiled all the time?"

Gaara's mind stalled. She smiled to keep the others peace of mind? If that was the case, what the _hell_ does she keep bottled up? A lot, judging from the look on her face.

Lee ran her hands over her face, up through her hair as she waited for the redhead to process what she'd said. Reaching her rattail, she started twirling it around her finger, watching him.

Gaara didn't know what to do. The only people whom he hadn't killed on sight were his siblings, and now a few Konoha ninjas he barely knew. Never having had a relationship beyond Temari and Kankuro, he didn't know how to react to a person in this kind of emotional state. He fumbled, and finally managed to get out-

"Go-gomennasai."

Lee looked at him, one thick eyebrow arched.

"For what?"

"For bothering you." With that, he got up and turned to leave. He had gotten to the balcony before his bum suddenly reunited with the floor. Flipping around, he discovered Lee and her death-grip on his beige sash. Her face was pensive, and sad.

"Don't… go."

Gaara twitched. Standing up, Lee self-consciously crossed her arms. She didn't meet his eyes.

"I don't want to be alone right now."

She stepped past him and sat on the bench, looking up at the new night sky. She glanced at him, as if to make sure he was still there.

"So, are you going to tell me your name this time?" Gaara could barely see her wry smile.

"Gaara."

Lee started. She whirled her head to face him.

"Gaara? _Sabaku_ no Gaara?"

"Yes."

There was a pause as Lee seemed to digest this information. She looked away for a second, went back to Gaara, then, slowly, to his gourd.

"The gourd…sand?"

In answer, the cork popped open, and sand slid slowly out. In an effort to show he had no killer intentions, he immediately formed it into a clone of Lee, complete to the dumbfounded look on her face. She raised her hand to touch it, and it acted as a mirror, reaching up for her. Flesh meeting sand, she whispered to Gaara.

"It's…amazing…" She flashed him a small grin, "Gaara-san."

Gaara stood there, astounded. She was still here. She hadn't run away, or screamed, or become polite and frightened. She had even complimented the sand.

NO ONE had complimented the sand.

"You know what?" Lee said with a wide grin, breaking him out of his thoughts. "I like you." And with that, leaned over and kissed his forehead, right upon his scar.

This caused Gaara's mind, emotions and hands go flying in different directions, caught completely off-guard. Someone wasn't afraid of him. Someone liked him. Could he have finally found someone to validate his existence…? Someone to become a friend? Like that blonde, Uzumaki Naruto, had. The ones he had protected from Gaara.

Gaara's heart felt like it was in his throat, his hands had become numb. He felt lost. And even though he wouldn't admit it, a little weak.

Shukaku, however, eagerly admitted it, and rose up in an attempt to take over his hosts' body.

Lees post-kiss smile was broken off as Gaara cried out and fell to the floor, the sand clone dispersing in a cloud to settle around the Suna-nin.

"Gaara?!" Lee knelt down to try to find what suddenly ailed her newfound friend. "Gaara! What's wrong?!" she placed her right hand over his heart, her left brushing away his bangs to see into his eyes.

Twitch.

Lee could suddenly feel the blackness inside Gaara; the Shukaku's overwhelming hate for all that lived. It's lust for power, for freedom. And most of all, its desire to devour the body and soul of the weak human who dared hold him at bay.

"Gaara…" weakly, Lee lowered her left hand as another moan turned into a cry of pain. She stiffened, and her eyes found determination. She cupped Gaara's face into her hands and brought his forehead to hers.

Gaara stopped mid-cry.

Shukaku was gone.

Just like that.

Its anger boiled under his subconscious, hissing and angered that it had been denied its prey.

But it was gone.

He looked up at Lee, incredulous. His shock was sort-lived though, as she collapsed into his arms. His surprise savior looked up at him with hazy eyes, a hand raised to her head as if finding a headache starting.

"Luh-Lee! What did you do?! Are you all right?"

"Ye-yeah, what about you?" Lee lifted herself from Gaara, kneeling and leaning heavily on one arm.

"I'm fine. But, how- how did you do that?!"

Lee looked up at him blankly.

"Hn?"

"Force Shukaku away! How'd you do that?!"

"Shu…ka…ku…?"

"Yes! The demon sealed inside me!"

"Hn." Lee frowned, not understanding the word 'sealed'. She placed a finger on her lip, surmising his meaning. "I'm… not sure." She looked up at him. "But it worked, yes?"

Gaara stared at her, a bead of sweat trickling down his cheek. She had just subdued Shukaku, something he, Shukaku's host, had a difficult time doing. If she had somehow come in contact with it, her soul could have been devoured. And here she was, smiling as if it had merely been a run around a track.

Lee blinked as his hand set atop of hers and gripped. Gaara was bent over, his face not visible as he whispered-

"Thank you."

Lee merely patted his head, smiling benignly at him.

Wow, I didn't think The Rainmaker would be so popular! Thank you all, and especially to my reviewers! You know who you are wink

I'm going to be posting The Rainmaker as a fancomic on deviantart. Visit and show your support! http://devianthomunculi. 


	8. Happiness: Someone to Spend Time With

Lee-kun: Your turn Tsunade-hime!

Tsunade: Lee-kun doesn't own Naruto.

Lee-kun: Thank you!

Tsunade: …Where's the sake you promised me?

Lee-kun: eh-heh… :looks aside innocently:

Happiness: Someone to Spend Time With

Gaara made his way through the apartment as quietly as he could, trying not to awaken his siblings. He had gotten across the living room, to the hallway, before the light flickered on.

"Where have you been, Gaara?" Temari glared at him, leaning against the wall. Kankuro stood to one side, trying to be stern-looking, but still clearly nervous.

Gaara looked at his eldest sibling. Her glare didn't waver as he responded in kind. He closed his eyes momentarily.

"Out."

Temari sputtered. "What do you mean out?! I want to know where you've been _all day!_"

Gaara ignored her and turned around to go to his room when Temari shouted his name. He glanced over his shoulder, and found a change in Temari. She didn't look angry anymore. Just worried. He stopped to allow her to speak.

"I'm not angry, Gaara! Kankuro and I are just worried about you." She bit her lip. "I mean, it was one thing for you to be gone all night, but now you're gone 24/7…" she trailed off.

"She's right, Gaara." Kankuro jumped in. "We aren't mad. We just want to know what you're doing now… We're worried for you, that's all." Kankuro gritted his teeth against his next words. "We're all we have now… Mom's dead, and now Dad is too." He looked up, a sarcastic grin on his face. "We gotta look out for each other, you know?"

Gaara faced away again, hand on the wall. The two elder Sand siblings prayers were answered as Gaara spoke.

"I was… with that girl." Temari's face lifted.

"You- you found a friend?!"

Gaara turned to face his siblings. His countenance was thoughtful, giving him the look of a confused child.

"She… complimented the sand." He glanced behind his shoulder to the seemingly-benign gourd. Temari and Kankuro jumped at this, and Gaara continued.

"She said…" a slow, soft smile graced his lips. "…that it was amazing."

Anything else he would have said was stalled by his sisters' sudden embrace. Kankuro joined right after, though a little less enthusiastically.

"I'm so happy for you, Gaara." Temari whispered in his ear. She pushed herself away, holding his arms. "Next time just tell us where you're going, okay?" She discreetly wiped away a tear and smiled at him. She was about to let go of Gaara when he grabbed both their arms and drew them back into the hug, leaning his head into their chests.

The two older siblings smiled awkwardly at each other as Kankuro ruffled his little brothers' hair.

Lee sat out on the railing, feet dangling over to soak in the last of the days rays. It was about the same time that Gaara had shown up the night before, and Lee was ready. There was a full teapot, two cups and a plate of rice crackers set on the small table next to her. She would have smacked herself for being as childish as a schoolgirl, but since she detested that so much, the force of the punch would knock her over the edge.

Slowly, the sun was covered by clouds and buildings, taking what little warmth it had offered away with it. Stars quietly peeked from the east, and just before all daylight disappeared, a soft sound brought Lees attention behind her. Holding onto the railing with her hands, she leaned back upside down until she could see her guests face.

"Bishounen!" she cried. A quick twirl and she was standing on the balcony facing Gaara, a large grin plastered on her face. He twitched at the name, but instantly returned to his neutral countenance.

"Don't call me that."

"Why?" Lee cocked her head. "It's true!"

Blink.

Grin.

Blink.

Grin.

Blink.

"Soooo, you want some tea?"

"…sure…"

Lee hastily poured out both cups. Handing one to Gaara, she grinned again. He nodded thanks, and there were a few moments of silence.

"So…" Lee looked over the rim of her cup. "Why are you in Konoha?"

Gaara paused. He closed his eyes and said "Because my village ordered me to stay here."

Lee's mouth formed a small "oh." She set her cup down. "But… you're a great shinobi. Why would they leave you here?"

Gaara was silent, and Lee took it as a sign to stop. He let his eyes wander, finally alighting upon something that was almost lost in the bright colours of the pillows. Before Lee could realize what he was looking at, he swooped over and grabbed it, dumbfounded.

Gaara-ningyou glared back at him, with a stare slightly less intimidating than his real one. A real leather strap lay crossed with a muslin one. His sandals were exactly the same, with a thong between the toes. The gourd was strapped to the leather one, made of a thick, course material, complete with symbols. The only difference was that the 'ai' kanji was replaced by a pink heart.

Gaara looked up incredulously. She returned it with a sheepish grin.

"I, uh…" she stuttered. "I make dolls of the people I like…"

Gaara's gaze returned to his miniature self, silently amazed. He was one of the people she liked? But they had just met, that didn't make sense. Then he noticed Lee fidgeting, as if she was gathering up the courage to say something. He set the doll down reverently and faced her, which seemed to upset her more.

"Gaara-san, I was… well, only if you want, I mean…" she took a breath. "There's a festival in two weeks… and Tsunade-sama said I could go, and my friends will be there, and I wanted to know if you wanted to come with us?"

Gaara blankly stared at her, then turned his gaze downward, sullen.

"What's wrong? Did I say something wrong?" Lee's face scrunched up in worry.

"No…" Gaara's icy eyes returned to her. "But no-one would want me around."

"What are you talking about?!" Lee roared, making Gaara jump. "I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want you to come! And if anyone says anything, I'll kill them!" she started making a move as if to strangle somebody. "Okay?"

He glowered at her disbelievingly. She suddenly gave him puppy-eyes.

Gaara let his mouth move to a less threatening position. His eyes softened.

"Okay."

"YES!" Lee suddenly glomped Gaara, bringing him to the floor. She twitched, realizing what she'd done, and jumped up.

"Oh my… I'm so sorry Gaara-san! Did I hurt you?"

Gaara laid there, eyes wide.

"What…what was that?"

"Hn?" Lee cocked her head. "Well… I guess it was a hug. Of sorts…"

Gaara's eyes suddenly furrowed.

"You wanted… to give me a hug?"

What she'd done suddenly hit Lee. Gaara, the feared Suna shinobi, the murderer who had a body count before a birthday, the one who smiled as he killed, the one who was unable to be harmed by anyone, would not be one who was used to physical contact.

But his eyes weren't furrowed in anger, but in confusion and, Lee was sure of it, a hint of sadness. As if it was beyond his comprehension as to why anyone would want to even be anywhere near him.

Lee sat up, pulling him up along with him. She hesitated, looking him in the eyes before drawing him into a great hug. He stiffened, his crimson hair just tickling Lee's nose. Then, she started to stroke his hair. He gave out a loud, shaky sigh as he let himself collapse into Lee's frame.

There was silence, broken only by the sound of fingers running through silken hair and a pair of soft breathing. Lee brought him a little closer to her, leaning her head against his.

Suddenly, he whispered "Why?"

Lee's only response was to stop.

"Why don't you fear me?" He shifted upwards, looking at Lee.

She smiled, and placed a hand on his cheek.

"Because," the grin grew wide. "Everyone deserves a chance. For someone to believe in them." Her face became sad. "Even if they don't believe in themselves."

Gaara looked down, quiet, understanding the hidden meaning in her words. Then, oh so softly, raised his arms and wrapped them around Lee, resting his head on her shoulder.

It took her a moment to realize he was hugging her back.


	9. In These Two Weeks: The First Day

Lee-kun: Okay, Puppy-san! Your turn!

Puppy-san: …

Lee-kun: What's wrong?

Puppy-san: Stop calling me Puppy-san

Lee-kun: But, you don't have a real name yet! Anyways, what about the ANBU secrecy thing, huh?

Puppy-san: Dammit… sigh Lee-kun doesn't own Naruto, or any of the characters within, 'cept for his/herself, so STFU.

Lee-kun: … how do you know l337sp34k?

Puppy-san: You will never know

Lee-kun: O.o;

In These Two Weeks: The First Day

"And this combines with this character to make the word 'taijutsu'." Ogewa-sensei said.

Lee nodded, copying the kanji down carefully. She scanned over her paper, and despite the many new kanji, she thought her calligraphy skills were vastly improving.

"So what's got you interested in the ninja arts all of the sudden?" Ogewa-sensei said, leaning onto the table with a knowing look.

Glancing up at her tutor, Lee looked him right in the eye. "I'm living in a shinobi village now. I think I should know something about them."

"Are you sure you haven't _talked _to anyone who would give you ideas?" He smiled, his head supported by his palm. Lee understood his meaning, and answered with a level face.

"You know very well that I've never invited anyone here, and I severely doubt Naruto-kun or Tsunade-sama would be plotting the downfall of the village." She ended with a smirk that let Ogewa-sensei know that she knew of his game.

It happened every so often. He would come and teach her kanji every day, and sometimes would give an oh-so-subtle interrogation during the lesson. Though, Lee had to admit, today's was well-vindicated. She had suddenly asked Ogewa-sensei to teach her kanji for the ninja arts, after having no previous interest, so it was a good reason for suspicion. Considering the list of kanji had already exceeded twenty-five, a very good reason.

He humphed, shrugged, then glanced at his watch.

"It's time for me to go now, anyway." He gathered his books and spare paper. "Don't get into trouble now." He said with a wink as he closed the door.

It was Lee's turn to humph. Like she could get into any trouble with ANBU watching and reporting every move she made, twenty four-seven. She was surprised that Gaara had been able to get into her apartment without being assaulted by a dozen of them as soon as he set foot on her balcony.

As though her thoughts had been a summons, the redhead appeared from the shadows onto the bright red balcony. Lee jumped; he hadn't come to see her this early before. Ogewa-sensei normally left at seven on weekdays, and he did leave a little late today, but still. She let him in, giving him a warm, wry smile.

"You're a bit early today, Gaara-san."

Gaara was silent, perusing the kanji scattered over the table.

"You're studying about shinobi…?"

"Well…" Lee scratched her head. "I think I should know about the people of the village I'm staying in…" she shook her head. "Anyways, would you like anything, Gaara-san?"

"No." and with that, he sat himself down on the pillows at the table.

"Um…okay…" she sat down herself, Gaara to her left. "So… what did you do today?" she asked happily.

"I was at my apartment." He replied without a change in facial expression.

"Okay." Lee sweatdropped. '_That's a start, I guess._' She thought to herself. "Did you do anything special there?"

"No."

"Were you alone?"

"No."

"Who were you with?"

Gaara paused at this, and his face cinched in the barest of movements. "My siblings."

"Oh!" Lee smiled. "I didn't know you had siblings! What're their names?"

"My sister is Temari, and my brother Kankuro."

"Younger or older?"

"Both older."

Lee giggled. "Something we have in common; elder siblings." Gaara turned to face Lee. "Who is you're sibling?"

Lee, though happy he finally asked a question back, hesitated. "I…had a sister." She became downcast. "But she died a while ago."

There was a pause as Lee took a moment to reminisce before Gaara broke her train of thought. "How did she die?"

Lee was faintly surprised, though her face seemed only somewhat bemused. "She, and my mother, died in a bombing, back home."

"A bombing?"

"Yes. My country's been at war for a few years now. Someone decided to make a statement about it at the building we were in, and bang!" she flicked her fingers for emphasis.

"You were there?" Gaara's eyes flickered with sudden interest as Lee rolled up her left sleeve to the shoulder to reveal a slightly puckered scar that cut her deltoid muscle straight across the middle.

"We were on vacation, in a hotel." She rolled the sleeve back down. "They died protecting me from the rubble. I was the only one to survive the blast. Everyone else died from the injuries they got from the metal in the walls."

"You were stuck in the rubble with…" Gaara trailed off.

"With their corpses. For two and a half days." She rubbed her shoulder unconsciously. "I'm kinda glad I was unconscious for most of it…"

Gaara repeated the last few words, almost to himself. "…Most of it…?"

_-A deafening sound-Falling plaster, cement, and metal pipes-Her mothers face as she threw her to the floor-Blood coming from her sisters' mouth as an uprooted I-beam struck her back, the reverberations stunning her herself-Waking up to two bloody grey faces, their bodies pinning her down-Screaming at the top of her lungs at them, at the other people, the rescuers, to please, please, PLEASE let her wake up, please let her go-The gibbering mess she became when the rescue teams' flashlight finally beamed down on her-The body bags that held—_

"Lee?"

She started, having lost herself in her memories. She looked at Gaara, a bead of sweat trickling down her cheek.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Are you alright?" Lee waved it off airily.

"Of course! Just lost in thought."

Gaara's gaze bored into her, then he closed his eyes. "I'm sorry for bringing it up. It must have been painful."

"Yes." Lee lowered her gaze, her features resigned. "But they are gone and I cannot change that." She leaned over and propped her head with one hand. "So I must live my life, and remember theirs." She gave him a weak smile. "You know, you're the only person I've told about this."

"Why…?"

"I don't know…" she ruffled his hair, earning her a disgruntled look from him. "Maybe because I thought you'd be able to understand."

"…I…do. I think." Gaara reached out, stopped, then finally patted Lee's head in return, shocking her. "My mother died giving birth to me." Lee cringed.

"What about your father?"

"Dead. He was murdered a while ago. You?"

"Died in the war."

Gaara paused. "Is your whole family is dead?"

"Except for my three baby second cousins, yes. And I'm the only one with my family name left."

"You…don't really seem to be bothered by it."

"Hm? Well, except for my mother and sister, I never got along with my family. Not the most respectable people around, and we hardly ever even saw each other anyways." Lee shrugged, indifferent. "What about you? Do you like your family?"

"No."

"You don't like any of them?" Lee's eyebrows shot into her hairline.

"They… have never treated me like family…"

"Geez… then I guess we don't have as much in common as I thought we did." She folded up her knees and leaned into them. "If it wasn't for my mother, at least, I wouldn't have even been alive at the bombing."

"Why? What does she have to with your living?"

"She…was the only one who accepted me. My sister did too, but my mother was always there for me, no matter what happened or what I did. No one else supported me like that. Not like she did."

"Didn't your friends support you?"

Lee scoffed. "Friends? Until three years ago, I didn't even have one. And that one person was hard to win over."

"But you had one."

"Until she got pregnant." She scratched her head. "Only saw her twice after that."

"Weren't there others?"

"…Only one." Lee looked up at Gaara. "He was the person I wanted to exist for. The one I wanted to support me. And he did. Just, not in the way I wanted him too."

"You… loved him?"

"I did. But he didn't love me. So I contented myself to be his friend, and that was that."

There was quiet as Gaara weighed his answer. "I… have never loved anyone…"

Lee giggled, a finger to her lip. "Don't you worry about that. You're young! Somebody will come along to make you happy."

Gaara gazed at her, confused. "But, how will I know?"

She giggled again, but stopped when she saw how serious he was. "It's hard. It's something that can't easily be explained." She twirled some hair around her finger. "I guess, it's when you like to be around that person. When you don't like it when they're away, and jealous when they're with other people. When just seeing them or hearing their name makes you feel better." She shook her head. "I'm sorry. I guess I'm no good with explaining…"

"No… I think I know…"

Lee started, watching his face pass over several different emotions at once.

"It's…" he shook his head. "No, never mind."

"No, I want to know." She looked at him in earnest. "Does someone make you feel that way?"

"Yes…" Gaara turned his face away. "But I don't think that they do." With that, Lee suddenly knew where it was going.

"Um…" Lee scratched her chin. "Maybe if you leave little things, to let them know how you feel."

"Little things?"

"Like flowers, or candy. Small presents to express how you feel."

"Presents…" He became thoughtful, placing a finger to his chin. He suddenly got up, and left with only a small pause and a 'goodbye' at the glass door.

'_Great_.' Lee thought to herself. '_I just gave love advice to a homicidal maniac who looks like he's got the hots for _me'

She sighed as she realized how long the conversation actually took, and headed for bed.

Gaara quietly made his way back into Lee's apartment. He had left the door open an infinitesimal crack when he left, so that he could come through as sand.

He fingered the small box of candies. He had used his Third Eye Jutsu to spy on women and couples in several stores. He knew she would prefer a book, but he had no idea what kind she would like. That, and he knew she couldn't read very well, so any good book would be out of the question. And flowers died, so he didn't want that to give to her.

So here he was, with gourmet sweets in hand, when he realized if he gave them to her now that she would know who gave them to her, and that was something he wanted to delay. He didn't want her to know until he was positive that she felt the same way.

Sighing, he placed the sweets in his pocket and turned to go when he realized something.

He had spied on the people in the stores for at least an hour. Then he had taken the time to decide which box to get her. And _then_ spent time working up his nerve to go back inside her apartment. All that time meant:

It was late.

Lee would be asleep.

She would never know if he spent the night beside her, just enjoying her presence.

'_Think of it as a mission_.' He thought to himself. Before he could change his mind, he sent his Third Eye behind the door he surmised would lead to her bedroom. He instantly confirmed it, and flashed in under the door as sand.

Unfortunately, he hadn't taken into consideration what _else_ could be in the room.

As soon as he materialized, paper crinkled underneath. He jerked his leg up, and cautiously stepped back as he made sure his target was still asleep. She flinched, but otherwise remained unmoved. Gaara decided to take his time after that, and let his gaze wander around the room.

Furniture-wise, it was as sparse as her living room. There was a small dresser to the right. A small window let light onto a short table, apparently onto a Buddhist alter. A closet interrupted the green wall opposite him, and finally, her bed rested parallel against the same wall.

However, that was just the furniture. Every viable surface that wasn't taken over by plants was covered in papers; some blank, some with sketches, some in full-blown colour. Even the walls were covered, though it seemed she only put certain drawings up. With a start, Gaara noticed a nearly life-sized painting of himself, next to Naruto, Hinata, Tsunade and Jiraiya, each in heroic-like poses. The five paintings took up the entirety of the last wall, the edges overlapping each other.

Gaara carefully stepped over the paper littering the floor until he was next to her bed. He sat down, making sure not to disturb the sleeper, nor the numerous pencils and pens she left on the floor near her bed. He leaned over, hand hovering over her face as he swept a tendril of hair from her face.

Satisfied with his infiltration, he settled down for the rest of his 'mission'.

Lee had felt a presence in her living room, and had brushed it off as an ANBU until a soft sound, like someone trying to close a zipper quietly, appeared on her side of the door. She kept herself relaxed as the presence transferred into her room. Opening her eyes just a crack at the rustling of paper, she got a glimpse of the intruder, and closed her eyes before he could tell she was awake.

Gaara was in her room.

Gaara. _Gaara_ was in her room.

Lee retained her composure, praying that he wouldn't notice her consciousness. The sound of three steps, and she could hear his breathing over her. She almost jumped when his hand brushed her forehead, but she remained still. She heard the sound of shifting cloth as he sat down.

'_What, is he going to sit there all night?'_

Indeed, that seemed to be the case, because there were no sounds in the small room but for their breathing for a long time. Lee resigned herself to having an audience and let herself fall asleep. Her last thought to herself was

'_Damn I'm glad I don't sleep in the nude.'_


	10. So Much to Teach Each Other

Lee-kun: Ok, Jiraiya-sama.

Jiraiya: Lee-kun doesn't own Naruto. Kishimoto does. If you haven't gotten that by now, there's something wrong with you.

Lee-kun: Right!

Jiraiya: Now gimme my scroll back, or those pretty girls will leave the waterfall before I get back! I must have fresh, new inspiration for my novels:rants:

Lee-kun: Perv. :sweatdrops:

In These Two Weeks: So Much to Teach Each Other

It was Sunday. That meant Ogewa-sensei wouldn't be visiting Lee today. Which meant she was stuck alone in her apartment. Insert sigh of boredom here.

Lee was currently lying on the floor, reading a book. Actually, more interpreting the book so that she _could_ read it. She was very glad that this book had hiragana along the kanji. Even so, all she could understand of it was that was some sort of romance. (She was somewhat depressed it wasn't one of Jiraiya's, since she's somewhat of a pervert herself)

Moaning, she dropped the book onto her face and started to drift off. She had almost fallen asleep when she heard a familiar _tap tap_ on her back door. Lee hoisted herself up and let Gaara in with out even looking to ascertain who it was.

"Look what the wind's blown to me!" Lee grinned. "Hey Gaara-san!"

Gaara stepped inside, then suddenly turned to face Lee. She stopped and looked at him in bewilderment.

"What, do I have something on my face?" She patted a cheek in bewilderment. He squinted, staring at the small bags under her eyes.

"Are you feeling well?"

"Huh?"

"You look ill. Are you sick?"

"Oh!" Lee scratched her head. "No. I just… didn't sleep well last night."

Gaara winced at this. His presence had done her injury (in his mind), all to settle a curiosity.

"But I'm fine!" she waved her hand in front of her. "I'm sure I'll catch up on it tonight, so don't worry!"

Gaara nodded slightly, and turned to see what she had set down when she let him in. He twitched when he saw the title, _Lover's Paradise,_ but didn't say anything.

"Oh, um, that, right…" Lee threw it under the table. "Tsunade-sama gave me that to practice with!" She looked around the room for something to distract him with. Unfortunately, there wasn't anything else on the table (at the moment) and the only thing on walls was her clock. _'Waitaminute'_ she thought.

"It's almost lunch, Gaara-san. Would you like something?"

He was silent, debating the idea. Lee figured it was his normal 'angsty-cute-bishie-mode,' and therefore agreement, so she headed towards the kitchen.

"I'm sorry; I don't really have anything but instant ramen." Lee pulled out two cups, inwardly cursing the woman who did the grocery shopping for her for only coming on Sundays.

"It's fine." Gaara shrugged lightly. Lee smiled and set the hot water to boil. She stood leaning against the counter. Both were silent, each just enjoying the others company.

Lee started pouring the water when she startled Gaara by yelling "_Dammit_!" 

"What?" Gaara looked around, sand curling up around him defensively.

"Sorry, I just burned my hand." Lee moved over to the sink and ran cold water over her scalded hand. Gaara was suddenly behind her, making her jump. He reached around her and lightly gripped her wrist.

"Does it… hurt?" he asked quietly, his face sombre.

"Yes." Lee became solemn. "But it will fade."

"Does it?" Gaara asked, and Lee knew from the look on his face he didn't mean her hand.

"It does." She forced herself to smile. "It is the nature of pain to fade away."

Gaara didn't quite seem content with the answer, but moved on to his next question.

"What was that you said?"

"What?'

" 'Tammu-ito?"

Lee burst out laughing, much to Gaara's displeasure.

"Ano sa! I'm serious! What was that? What does it mean?"

"I-I'm sorry!" Lee wiped a tear from her eye. "It's a bad word in my language. It just popped out."

"What does it mean?!" Gaara's voice edged on irritated, hinting that Lee should just spit it out.

"_Kuso_. It means _kuso_."

" 'Tammu-ito…"

"Damn it."

" Damunu-ito?"

"Damn it."

"Damnu –ito?"

"That's it!" Lee grinned, morbidly happy she was corrupting a youth.

"But, how do you pronounce it like that? You can't use hiragana for it, can you?" the jinchuuriki adopted an adorable confused face.

"No, we don't use hiragana in my country." Lee was somewhat terse, not wishing to speak more about her country because of the night before.

"Show me."

Lee was going to protest, but the look on Gaara's face, as well as his tone of voice, made her sure that it wasn't wise to deny him. They stepped over to the table, ramen forgotten, and Lee pulled some paper out from under the table.

"It's hard to describe these to someone who's never even heard of them, but I'll try." Lee grabbed a pencil and started writing down the Romanized alphabet.

"Ok, first off, this is 'a,' which is your あ." (a)

"Ay?"

"Right, and this is 'b,' your ベ (be) without the え." (e)

"Beh?"

"Very good, and this is…"

They continued like this until late in the evening. Lee gave the sheet with both the Romanized letters and hiragana to Gaara to practice with overnight. She saw him out with a wink, threw the dinner dishes in the sink to deal with in the morning, and went to bed. As she pulled off her clothes, she prayed Gaara would stay in his _own_ bedroom tonight.

And her prayers were answered. Gaara didn't go into her room that night. He just used the Third Eye Jutsu to watch her from the balcony this time.

Lee flipped over groggily. The clock glared with a bright red 12:17 at her, telling her that she was going to have to fall asleep in the next ten minutes or so, or her visitor would keep her awake all night.

She was going to kill Gaara.

Seriously.

He had come in every night after that time with the Third Eye Jutsu, sometime after midnight, and watched her until dawn. She was getting better at hiding her tiredness, but it was just getting out of hand. It was going to end tonight, one way or another.

Lee calmed herself, regulating her breathing like she did every night. Then she waited until she heard the familiar zipper-like sound. Giving him a few seconds to settle himself down on the floor, Lee breathed out a pause, then opened her eyes abruptly.

Gaara cried out, falling back with one arm raised and the sand popping out of the gourd with a loud _hiss_. He was silent, wide-eyed, not sure what to do now that his 'mission' had failed. Lee watched him stumble over his words before sighing and rolling her eyes.

"If you're going to watch someone in their sleep," Lee lifted up the blankets and motioned Gaara over. "Then do it properly."

Gaara stared at her uncomprehendingly. Lee glared at him. "Take off your shoes. And the gourd." Gaara blinked. "Do it!" Lee prompted.

Gaara did as he was told, and she eased him into bed with her. Without looking at him, she pulled the sheets up, then wrapped her arm around Gaara, bringing him close, earning her a surprised squeak from the redhead.

"L-Lee-san…" Gaara sputtered.

"Shush. You came to see me sleep, didn't you? I can't do that if you're talking." Gaara was silent for a moment.

"You knew?"

"From the first night." Lee answered without opening her eyes.

Gaara was quiet, thinking over what she said. She'd let him watch her in her sleep, keeping her up most of the night, as well as when she was most vulnerable, despite his unclean past. And she wasn't scared, or greedy, or dominating. She accepted him as he was. It was just…them.

Gaara glanced back up at her face, slack in repose. He scooted closer, gripping her arm lightly.

"Lee-san?"

"Ne, Gaara-san?" Lee answered again with her eyes closed.

"…" He took a breath. "Why?"

Lee cracked one eye open. She knew what he meant. Even if she hadn't heard it in his words, she could see it in his eyes now. She nuzzled him close without saying anything. Inhaling, she braced herself.

"Gaara-san… I have to admit. I _am_ scared of you." Gaara froze. "But I know you have the strength to control yourself, and that you won't hurt me."

Gaara was stiff, his eyes hidden from Lee's view.

"How can you be sure?" he whispered.

Lee pondered, going over what she had learned about him the previous times he had visited. She slowly brought his closer to her chest and whispered right in his ear. "Because _you_ are not the monster."

Gaara jumped up, staring at Lee with an ugly expression, not fully confusion, surprise, or even anger. Lee was still, her eyes the only thing that moved, following Gaara. She continued to look him in the eye and said in an even tone.

"A _monster_ would have used all those opportunities to kill me by now, just for the fun of it. _You_ are not a monster."

Gaara blinked owlishly, then turned his face away. His gaze started at the base of the bed, and slowly followed up to the life-sized portrait of himself. He had seen it every night, had scrutinized it and debated its purpose, but, he believed that tonight he was finally starting to understand. He absorbed the details; he was in a wide-legged stance, one arm forward as if about to use Sabaku SouSou, and sand fluttered around him. But what was strange was the orb held in his other hand. It was a plain white sphere, but emblazoned on it was the character for 'wind,' and it was in the exact same colour as the Kazekage's outfit. Did she…? His glance brushed over her for a second. Did she think he would protect… would become…? Gaara dropped his gaze.

Without a word, he straightened up and pulled both his sashes off his narrow shoulders as Lee watched. She knew he was small for his age, but he became so _tiny_ without those belts, and the long billowing sleeves and high collar didn't help. He just was so fragile-looking, from the small frame to his guarded eyes; Lee couldn't believe he had been able to last as long as he did all alone.

Once he lay back down, Lee continued the embrace, Gaara returning it only a moment after, and they passed the night in silence.


	11. Two Weeks Later: A Festival!

Lee-kun: Everyone pay attention now! It's Temari's turn, but she just had to pull Kankuro out of another toy store, so she's pissed, okay people?!

Temari: GODDAMNIT WOULD YOU PEOPLE TAKE A HINT AND JUST READ THE #&$! STORY?!?!!?

Lee-kun: If there are any left that aren't scared shitless now… goes off to replace pants

Two Weeks Later: A Festival!

Temari and Kankuro were scared. Very, very scared. It was noon, and Gaara was pacing around the apartment in a _kimono._ A brown and red _festival_ _kimono._

"So, you, uh…" Kankuro turned to his sister, hoping for help. "You're going to the festival?"

A glance and nod were his only response.

"You're going with your friend, right?" Temari gave her little brother a soft smile. Gaara stiffened a little and clipped off a small nod.

"Good." She grabbed Kankuro and wheeled around to leave. The puppeteer sputtered.

"H-hey! Temari?! Where are we going?!"

"To get some kimonos for ourselves. We should enjoy the festival too." Looking over the irate Kankuro, she said, "You go on ahead, Gaara. We'll be around if you need us." She gave a sly wink and continued to drag Kankuro out. A small poof, and Gaara was gone.

"Tch. I didn't mean _now_." Temari allowed herself a grin. "I think I like this mystery girl."

Kankuro looked up from the deathgrip at his sister. "Do you think he knows the festival doesn't start 'til five?"

"No. And I don't think we should tell him."

"Right."

"Come on, Lee!" Naruto yelled through the bathroom door. "It's quarter to five! The others are waiting for us! We're gonna be late!"

"I'm almost done, hang on!" Lee looked her hair over in the mirror, slowly placing the dragonfly clasp at the base of her rattail.

"There!" she grinned at her reflection. She slammed the bathroom door open, smacking Naruto in the head. After a brief howl and an apology, Naruto looked up.

Lee wasn't the prettiest girl in the world, but _hell,_ did she fill out a yukata! It was a forest green that matched her eyes, decorated with blue dragonflies, with a light blue obi. On her feet were clog-like zori.

Naruto smiled. "You look good." Lee blushed lightly and laughed. "You too!" Naruto glanced at her askew. His kimono was the typical orange with a blue collar, covered in red swirls. He didn't see what was so great about it. He shrugged, and both made their way out, but Lee hesitated at the door. She shook her head and marched out, head held high.

"So," Lee turned to Naruto as they headed down the stairs. (Carefully, since Lee was new to wooden sandals) "What's the festival _for_, anyway?"

"It's the first day of autumn!" Naruto gave her a surprised glance.

"Oh, it's September 21st, then…" Lee trailed off.

"Didn't you know that?"

"I don't have a calendar in my apartment. My 'guardians' won't give me one for some reason…"

"Oh."

There was silence until they came outside. Lee looked around avidly, absorbing the scenery she'd observed for weeks from a new perspective.

"Hinata-chan and Neji-kun will be waiting for us at the Crescent Bridge," he pointed ahead and slightly to the right of them, "Over that way."

"Neji-kun?" his companion asked.

"Hinata-chan's cousin. He's kinda stuck-up, but he's loosened up lately."

Indeed, a few streets later they found the Hyuuga's. Neji seemed to be standing guard over his younger cousin, in a pale blue yukata, as Hinata leaned against the railing in a light grey kimono with blue clouds floating across the hem, watching the stream go by. It seemed that they had invited others, as Ten-Ten, Shino, Kiba, and Akamaru were with them. With a hail from Naruto, Hinata jumped up and turned several different shades of red. Catching Neji's eyes, Lee shared a knowing glance as Hinata attempted to greet her crush.

"Hajimemashite. I'm Lee." she gave a small bow to everyone.

They each bowed in return, naming themselves, or in Akamaru's case, barking their presence. Neji spoke, patting Hinata's head. "I've heard of you from Hinata-sama."

Lee laughed. "Good things, I hope?"

Neji and Ten-Ten smiled, Naruto and Kiba laughed, and Akamaru barked happily as Hinata sputtered to clear her name. Shino was silent, though he seemed to soften at Hinata's plight.

"Hey! Guys!"

Everyone turned to find a certain pink-haired kunoichi and the disabled taijutsu prodigy heading towards them. "Sakura-chan! Bushy-Brows!" Naruto yelled, bounding up to her, much to Hinata's dismay. They said their hellos to the other teams, until Naruto glanced around.

"Where's Sasuke-teme?" Naruto gave Sakura a pensive look. Sakura hung her head sadly.

"I couldn't convince him to come." She smiled weakly, then turned to Lee, a finger on her lip. "I don't recognize you." A glance at Naruto. "You must be Lee-san, right? Naruto's talked about you."

"Y-yes, the same here, Sakura-san." Lee's stutter went unnoticed. She had heard of Sakura's infamous temper from Naruto (having seen the results of it several times), and had no intention of being on the receiving end.

"Your name is Lee, too?!" Rock Lee cried out, shocking the others after his previous silence. Lee stepped back and sweatdropped.

"Um, yes…?"

"What a coincidence!" he grabbed her hand (one of his being occupied with the crutch) and shook it wildly, nearly sending its owner flying. Regaining her equilibrium, Lee took a moment to assess the two, particularly the boy who shared her name.

Sakura was dressed in a white kimono emblazoned with sakura petals. A large cherry blossom pin held her hair up at the nape of her neck, making her seem more mature than her twelve years.

He was in a similar green kimono of a lighter shade than Lee's, the collar orange as Naruto's. Unlike the others, though, he wore deep green pants that ill-disguised the brace on his leg. A large cast could be seen on his left arm as well.

Noticing her gaze, the boy smiled and patted the cheek that sported a faded bruise. "Don't worry, I got this in a fight. It doesn't hurt."

Lee jumped. "Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stare…" she trailed off, completely embarrassed.

"Well, this is going to get confusing…" Neji spared both Lees a glance.

"Oh," the female Lee waved her hand in front of her face. "Just go ahead and call me Lee-chan, I don't mind!"

"Are you sure?" Ten-Ten asked, uncomfortable with the abrupt use of a more intimate honourific.

"Of course!" she smiled.

"Lee-chan and Lee-kun!" Sakura smiled and nodded. "It's settled!"

"It _is_ a coincidence, though." Ten-Ten looked at Lee-chan. "You even look somewhat alike."

The female Lee giggled, then looked at the other Lee. Then suddenly, she ruffled her hair as hard as she could. You see, Lee's hair had the strange ability of becoming a pleasing spiked style when left alone, but when ruffled, flattened into a bowl. After the ruffling, she looked over at the other Lee again, her hair matching his but for a few stray hairs, and a large, toothy grin identical to his 'Nice Guy Pose' smile. Except for the colour of her hair, she was almost exactly like Lee-kun, from haircut, to thick eyebrows (but not as thick as his), to the happy grin. Everyone laughed at this, especially Lee-kun, who sorely needed a lifting-up lately. Then Lee-chan shook her head violently, and her hair returned to its original state.

Ending the chit-chat, the group headed for the part of Konoha that would hold the majority of the festival. Keeping back, Lee tugged on Naruto's sleeve.

"Ne? What is it, Lee-chan?"

Lee fiddled nervously. "I, uh, asked someone to join us."

"Oh." Naruto assumed his confused fox-face. "Who is it?" Lee shook her head. "You'll see." Naruto blinked. "Okay… Where'd you say you'd meet?"

"Um, Ichiraku Ramen. They said it was near here, so it'd be easy to find."

"Dang right, easy to find! C'mon guys!" grabbing Lee's hand, he dashed off, leaving the others to follow in mute surprise.

On the way, they ran into Team Asuma. Choji was drooling over vendor goods as Ino tried to get him to move and Shikamaru stood a few steps behind, in case it turned ugly, while watching clouds. Another round of introductions was made, and once their destination was revealed to Choji, they all found themselves pushed along.

Coming up upon Ichiraku Ramen, Shikamaru, who was in the lead, stopped, frozen.

"Huh?" Ino stopped behind him. "What's wrong, Shikamaru?"

"Lee's friend is gonna have to wait." He replied.

"Why?" came several questioning voices. Shikamaru turned slowly to the others.

"'Cuz Sabaku no Gaara's there!"

Indeed, the redheaded Suna-nin was leaning against the outside wall of Ichiraku Ramen, looking around as if he was trying to find someone in the crowd, despite the large berth he was given.

Lee stood in shock for a moment, and then gave a small giggle. "There goes my surprise…" she muttered in her language.

"Right!" she shoved past Shikamaru. "That's the point, Shikamaru-kun!" she gave him a falsely happy grin, daring him to say anything.

Gaara, who had become visibly bothered more and more as time went by, lightened up when he saw Lee. He had known that the festival wouldn't start for a while, but didn't realize that gave him more time to second-guess himself. He had almost convinced himself that she wasn't coming when he heard her calling. She ran over and gave him a brief hug when she reached him. Then she grabbed his hand, and to his chagrin, dragged him to the others.

"I'm sorry for the detour, but this is my friend, Gaara-san!" Lee smiled brightly at the group, whom all cringed as Gaara drew near. Gaara was just as apprehensive. His eyes were vacant, in a stare that was indistinguishable from his normal expression unless you knew him.

"W-we've met." Naruto shuddered, remembering the not-so-long-ago fight he had with Gaara.

"Lee-chan." Shikamaru looked her straight in the eye. "You _know_ who this is, right?"

Lee's mien suddenly became cold, and she stared right back. "Sabaku no Gaara, shinobi of the Village Hidden in the Sand." She scoffed. "I read about the Chunin exams in the newspapers, you know."

Gaara flinched. He didn't know she had known of the exams. He pulled his hand out of her grip.

"It's alright, Lee-san." His head hung low, his face not visible. "Go with them. It'll be more fun." He almost stumbled over the last word, as if he didn't know how to pronounce it.

"LIKE HELL!" Lee roared. Everyone froze, including some bystanders, as Lee grabbed Gaara's hands and started to drag him off. "If they're so conceited as to not give you a chance, then I don't even want to be seen with them!"

"B- but wait, the ANBU, aren't you…?"

"I just need an escort, no one said who it had to be!" They didn't get ten feet before Naruto called after them.

"Lee-chan!" Naruto grabbed her sleeve. "You know who he is, what he's done," he glanced at Gaara nervously and continued. "So why are you…?"

"Because Gaara has had the opportunity to hurt me every night for the last two weeks if he had wanted." Lee looked at every one of them as she drew Gaara closer, which made him even more uncomfortable. She grew sad, pleading silently with them. "He's no different than any of us."

There was silence as everyone started glancing at each other, as if to see who would risk joining the Suna-nin and his suicidal companion. Naruto stared at his friends, then at Lee and Gaara, unable to choose. Gaara kept his face averted, sure of the results.

A slow, limping gait broke the silence. Rock Lee hobbled over to face Gaara. He stopped a pace in front of him, his eyes hidden by hair. Then Lee raised his head, flashing Gaara a grin.

"What're we waiting for? The festival's not gonna wait for us!"

Every froze in drop-jaw shock. "Lee-kun!" Sakura cried. "Of all people-!"

"It was a fight." Lee rubbed his cheek absent-mindedly. "Anyone can get overexcited in that kind of situation." Smiling, he placed his healthy hand on Gaara's shoulder. "Let's go!"

Not everyone was convinced, but Lee-kun's assertion was hard to contradict. All remained wary, some more so than others, but they all more or less accepted this new arrival to the group, and disappeared into the festivals' crowd after the two ever-smiling Lees and the highly confused Gaara, whom was being dragged along by both hands.


End file.
